Web-based application modules may be used to conduct live meetings, training, education, and/or presentations via a computer network, such as the Internet. In some web-based application techniques, each participant in the meeting or the like sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the Internet. The web-based application can be, for example, a downloaded application executing on each of the users' computers or a remote application where the attendees access the meeting by clicking on a link distributed by a meeting invitation e-mail to enter the meeting.
A feature that web-based collaboration applications sometimes offers is referred to as “screen sharing”, “desktop sharing”, or “application sharing,” where participants can view what a presenter currently has shown on their screen. Some screen sharing applications allow for remote desktop control, allowing participants to manipulate the presenter's screen.
Nevertheless, existing software solutions can be inadequate when data is actively modified and/or when users are actively switching between application modules, and when user interfaces should be coordinated. Interactive data presentation and/or user control of user interfaces can easily become de-synchronized, or can slow down due to untimely attempts to synchronize activity.
So-called decision support systems (DSS), that help users compile information and structure a decision model to identify and solve problems and make decisions, present a further challenge. This type of software includes a knowledge database, a decision model (e.g., a decision context and decision criteria), and one or more user interfaces. Typically voting on a decision in a DSS can be remote, but a DSS typically does not have application sharing due to the data-intensive nature of use.